Fade to Black
by CreationStartsWithUs
Summary: A bittersweet moment occurs for Emily Thorne and Nolan Ross when Victoria Grayson watches a private moment between the two from her position at Grayson Manor.
1. A certain beginning

Like a worn leather shoe, Victoria Grayson's past was etched with dirt and cracks resembling moments she could no longer remember. From scandal to wrongful transactions with green paper she wondered where it all went wrong. She speculated when she had completely failed both her son and her daughter, her daughter being the only remaining part of David Clarke that she knew of. She thought about Conrad who was rotting away in prison in a small 6 by 8 foot cell and how lonely they both must have been. She questioned if he was alone as she felt. She could have had millions of people's eyes on her and it still wouldn't be enough. Lately their eyes were on her for all the wrong reasons.

She knew she should have been grateful that she wasn't the one wearing the orange jumpsuit so she took advantage of that fact with her current physical appearance. Her heels scuffed the floors of her palace and her pearls were worn tightly around her neck but the silence in her home was deafening and in public there was always chaos.

Conrad had made a plea when the tidal wave of terror came down upon them, setting Victoria free but she suffered even more here without the company of her family. She didn't know where Charlotte was and part of her was afraid to ask. When Charlotte learned the truth about whom her parents were and what they had done the girl shot off to the moon like a bottle rocket. It didn't help that she had found out who Amanda Clarke really was after all those years.

Daniel was on top of the world, using his father's mistakes as a jumping off point for his speeches and promises of power and change in the world. He promised that things would be different and his vindictive wretch of a mother would not be involved in Grayson Global in any way. He was no longer affiliated with her, and the only thing he used the Grayson's for now were their family name which was soiled. Somehow he made it work for his favor. He played off the poor little rich boy card quite well.

Victoria imagined that Charlotte was somewhere with that Declan Porter boy either being educated or partying but she could not reach out, she had been told by her attorneys that it was a bad idea. So at the end of the day Emily Thorne had won. All these years and all the suspicions had panned out but still Emily landed on all fours like a very malicious cat.

While it seemed Victoria had everything she had nothing at all except the stone under her feet and the structure around her aching bones. She felt older than she was and felt she lacked the experience to do much of anything except pity herself. The woman fell lost in her thoughts but fire also burned behind her dark eyes filling her skull with something fierce and horrid. She wanted the floods to roll in and sweep away the Clarke residence like it never even existed. Part of her wanted to hate David for creating such a brat of a child, but Emily wasn't even a brat at all and Victoria knew that deep down. Emily Thorne was justice in a thin blonde girl with an infinity tattoo branded to her wrist forever. She could only hate David and the real Amanda Clarke for so long, because in the end the only person she truly hated was herself.

* * *

It was barely considered the other end of the beach, the strip of land so narrow and thought out like someone had created the area for spying and trysts. The Clarke home lit up the beach as the Grayson manor dwindled in darkness and Emily Thorne and Nolan Ross reveled in the whole experience. In his hand was a glass of red wine and in hers was white. His tongue rimmed the glass and her delicately manicured fingers polished off the bottle straight from the source itself. She had been meaning to drink that wine for a while now and was saving it for a special occasion.

Seeing the after effects of Victoria Grayson in so much misery brought her pleasure that nothing else could compare to. She had gotten her just desserts but had lost so much along the way; Victoria Grayson's demise had to be a grand reward in the scheme of things. He looked over at her and watched how her golden hairs pushed and pulled with the night breeze like the reins of a horse and its master. He watched how her face changed as she looked up at the castle walls which were severely lacking a Queen. She was queen and he was king in this scenario and everything was the way he imagined it would be.

Emily Thorne licked her lips and let the wind cool them. She looked over at her partner in crime and knew she could rest now. She constantly thought about her friends and family she had lost over the years but tonight the only feeling she wanted to wash over her was bliss, pure unadulterated bliss.

"Do you ever wonder what it is she does up there?" she asked as she set the empty bottle down knowing she would regret it later but the buzz was nice.

Nolan let his glass rest on the little side table she had brought out onto the porch before the drinking had begun. "Sulks, broods, counts her money?" he said in a rhetorical fashion.

"Do you think she's plotting against me?" Emily asked knowing there would always be some part of her that needed to make people pay. She was in fact a sociopath, which had been proven at an early age.

"I think she knows it's a lost hope at this point Ems," he said almost feeling sorry for the woman whom he knew David once loved very much. There was a pair of diamond earrings and a young girl out there to prove it.

Emily too felt like a lost hope as she didn't know what to do with her life now that everything was said and done. The Initiative had fallen flat on its feet, no longer on some political pedestal. It had been cut down like a giant ancient tree by Nolan, Aiden, Emily and countless other people who had faith in the cause. Satoshi Takeda was also a huge part in the effort and Emily had thanked her sensei for his wisdom. Emily had finally come clean about her past. She told Jack, Declan, little Carl and Charlotte the truth about her identity. It had taken years to get out her story but she knew it was a long time coming. Most of them still did not forgive her.

* * *

Victoria felt a pit in her stomach as she watched the ocean's waves churn like butter. They seemed to be going in no direction at all. She couldn't tell if the tide was coming in or going out or simply lying in wait. Everything was a waiting game for her now and she felt like a chess piece with no one playing to make the moves for her. When she was a young girl everything was decided for her when it came to what she was wearing or eating or doing but when she was thrown out she found freedom. She never let a man tell her what to do nor did she with a woman. She made that very clear to Conrad who was her savior after her time with Dominick Wright which was only leading her down a pathway to prison. Maybe she was just never with the right person or maybe she was cursed.

Letting her night gown sweep over the cherry hardwood floors she made it to her vanity and brushed her hair in front of the large mirror that showed off her best features from far away. The closer she got to it, the more she could see all her physical flaws. Turning away from it quickly she took a breath before peering back at her reflection. Seeing a few greys at her roots she once again thought of Conrad and a certain rage filled her up again starting from her toes to her lips which quivered with a silent anger.

Wanting to scream out to the sea she went back to her balcony, the little veranda looking down upon Emily Thorne's beach house. She could see the lights on, strings of them wrapped around the railings of her own veranda. Victoria remembered spending time with David out there and so did Amanda.

* * *

Emily watched Nolan's long torso seem to sway in the wind as he juggled glasses and bottles in his hands. He took long strides into the house from the porch to put away the garbage and she trusted him enough to figure out how to use a dishwasher. Looking up past the hedges she could see the dim form of The Grayson manor where everything went down in a mess of metaphorical flames. She swore she saw a woman's silhouette and part of her dared herself to wave, the smug little bitch that she was. She wanted to throw it in Victoria's face that she had won, that she had everything and she knew exactly how. She knew Nolan would go along with it as well.

He came out and balanced a tray of chocolates with one hand like he was some kind of skilled waiter but he was far from it. His lankiness didn't make him graceful, it made him more gawky and clumsy but she adored it.

"Madame…" he purred as she procured a piece not able to dismiss him or what was in his hands.

Popping the chocolate into her mouth she tasted cocoa and let a happy moan flow from her parted lips**. **

"**The best** reward of all…" she told him as she let her feet rest on the little wicker ottoman she had pulled up in front of her earlier.

Nolan placed the tray down after jamming a few pieces into his mouth, the flavor melting on one of his most sensitive appendages.

She watched him lick his fingers even though he had not made a mess and an idea struck her like lightning. She knew she was being watched and she liked it. She liked the power. She liked that there was nothing Victoria Grayson could do to her. When she thought about change she knew it was inevitable.

Winter was coming and at night she could tell by the frost that would sometimes very lightly blanket her windows. There was no chill tonight, just what the water provided since they were so close. Her hair danced wild around her as a smile decorated her face.

"How are you feeling right now?" she asked the man beside her who had finished chewing and swallowing the sugary sweets he provided them both with.

"Like nothing can stop me…" he purred and she was with him there. She knew that feeling. It made her blood feel like it was coming up to the surface just to make her skin tingle.

Standing up she wiped her mouth and pulled her hair back in a ponytail like she was preparing for battle. She filtered her eyes over to the home beside her and planned her attack.

* * *

Victoria batted her lashes and squinted down below to see what Emily Thorne was doing at this hour. Usually she wouldn't have cared but it had been made quite clear by her remaining family members that all she had was her memories. All she had were the help who came every day to make sure her manor looked pristine. She didn't care anymore, why did it matter if it was shining and white?

Her home already felt dirty as if it was covered in soot, maybe she should just let it be and save the money. She didn't know if more was ever going to come in again or if it was going to go away at a moment's notice. Sure she could go back to work but who would want her? What would she put on her resume? That she worked at a soup kitchen when she was fifteen? That she sold illegal artwork? That she barely raised two children? Blood thirsty socialite?

Looking down below she made out shadows and made the brash decision to put on her glasses meant for seeing far away. She found herself pathetic as she pulled up a Roman inspired chair and sat down next to the railing, out of mind and out of sight.

Blinking she made out more of the image from next door and watched Emily Thorne straddle the genius billionaire.

* * *

When Emily put a finger to Nolan's full pink lips he protested with a little sigh, confused of why she was on top of him in a most sexual manner. Had they not made love before, he would have died of shock. She nestled into him, her slacks pushing up against his, the seat of her panties already wet because she knew they were not alone.

She could exact revenge once more by showing Victoria everything she was missing, happiness, freedom, sex, and fun, but most of all someone who really gave a shit.

Nolan spotted the dim light out of the corner of his eye and instantly knew she was putting on a show for the woman who turned her life upside down. For a fleeting second he felt like he was being used but he knew she cared even if she couldn't say the words just yet. Emily Thorne was still numb after all these years but she was warming up to him.

He felt her warm hand at his crotch and his hips rose to meet her, to connect with her. When he tried to reach out and touch her skin she gripped his wrists and practically tied them down. While Emily had no rope he understood that this was about her taking what she wanted and him giving it to her. He would have to see how long he could hold back.

He kept his gaze on her as he heard his zipper basically rip open. She was being greedy and it made him hard. Her hand when down to his length and she eased him from his pants. He watched her smirk before spitting into her hand just to touch him and make him whine a little louder than before.

He threw his head back and accepted what she was giving him but it was hard to try and fight his hands to keep himself from stroking her hair or gripping her thighs.

From base to head she worked her hand up and down him, just pumping away in the dark of night. She loved the way he looked, illuminated and horny and it made her kiss him passionately, releasing a fabricated moan into his mouth.

He pulled back and gripped her shoulders, his eyebrow raised. "Nuh uh uh, kissing is for lovers…tonight you're just a whore…" he said, knowing she always appreciated dirty talk from him because it wasn't him at all.

Emily loved Nolan for all he was worth, but she loved when he would surprise her and insult her as she often did to him when they first met. She loved when he took the initiative to fuck her against a wall and make her scream.

Tonight was all about who would make who scream first and piercing Victoria Grayson's ears while doing it.


	2. An epilogue of sorts

Watching those from below, the blood thirsty socialite who once shot and killed a woman because her family was being threatened felt a haunting feeling overcome her. She remembered this feeling as jealousy. She had felt it when she had seen Lydia Davis with Conrad the day she banished and exiled the woman from The Hamptons. She had known for a brief time that they were having an affair but during that time she was filled with envy, green with it. Even though she knew why he had cheated it still hurt. The two of them were a mess of human emotions and rocky paths. Conrad had cheated on Victoria with her best friend because she had done the same some years earlier.

Victoria closed her eyes, still seeing the imprint of colors coming over from David Clarke's home still at her lids. She pictured what she had seen in her head, her memory sharp. Emily Thorne gripping the man's collar, the man squirming beneath her. She had done the same to Conrad during the first time they fucked. She had practically thrown him down and given him one hell of a ride, her thighs shaking as she bobbed up and down on his cock with her deliciously wet cunt. Her thighs shook violently before they both came and she remembered feeling weak.

Being with Conrad she felt strong especially when he helped her take her mother down a few notches and pegs.

A little help could go a long way with her.

* * *

"Help me…" Emily Thorne rasped to her partner as she fumbled to get his slacks off from around his hips. While he was skin and bones, the position they were in was compromising and difficult. It was complex like them.

Nolan wasn't going to give in to her so easily like he always did. He always succumbed to her fever and caught one with her before letting her take charge out of habit. He wound a hair in her honey colored hair until her lips parted from the slight amount of pain he allowed her to feel. Once Aiden accused her of not feeling anything but she felt things more so than others, just in a different way. Tonight she would feel something else, something called love. Something called trust.

Using his strength he lifted her off of his frame and swung her so she was against the railing, the engraved infinity logo underneath her ass. She grunted in disapproval which only made him toss her onto the cold wood porch floor. If she wanted to be a brat then she would get a splinter. Using a heavy hand he turned her around to spank her and give her what she deserved. She could often dole it out but not take it. It was about time that the roles were reversed.

With every hit to her denim clad bottom she whimpered very lightly before she felt a tug and her jeans were suddenly hugging her knees, keeping her steady and on her stomach. She could smell sea salt and thought back to the place where she had buried blue sea glass with Jack Porter as children. She had iconic defining memories with him and now she would have them with Nolan Ross. The man ran his thumb against the seam of her panties and for a second it felt like he was wearing a thimble over his finger because of how rough and gritty it all was. She liked it.

He growled in her ear and her eyelids fluttered with a silent pleasure. She never expected him to be able to utter the sounds he did when copulating with her but still to this day he was surprising her and changing. Nolan Ross was a butterfly while she for so long had been a moth to a flame. When that flame extinguished she hid underneath his colors until she could find her own. It was a process.

It was a process which meant giving up old ideals and interests. One habit she wasn't ready to give up was manhandling Nolan and making him melt into a puddle beneath her.

Fighting through the pain of his hand coming down on her rear she used her agility to push her body up like she was digging through a tunnel. She felt his frame jostle giving her enough time to turn onto her back. From her back she made the sacrifice of turning down a spanking to put him in his place. One day she would allow him full control but right now she still needed to be on top.

He cried out her name as she pinned him to the ground like they were training with Satoshi Takeda and his voice broke. She remembered the night Amanda had died and Nolan was searching for her on the open waters. He saw her flare go off illuminating the sky with an almost post-apocalyptic red and something about the way the sky erupted, he knew something was wrong. His voice broke then too as he called out her name, her alias and he found her alone on a sunken deflated raft. The wind hit his face, burning his skin but he managed to have the speed boat come to a halt. Scooping her up off the broken mangled thing he realized she too was broken and mangled. She sobbed into his shoulder and they didn't leave that spot for a good long while. The real Emily Thorne had made an ultimate sacrifice saving Jack but had not survived herself.

Nolan's love for David Clarke's daughter always survived through thick and thin. Years passed and when others could not forgive her, he always remained close. She was the flame to his moth.

* * *

Victoria sat in her chair and let the moments pass, her eyes glued on the porch where she had spent countless nights with David. It was also the porch where he had been pulled off of screaming for his daughter when his home was invaded and he was arrested. She tried to get into Emily's head and see her for who she truly was and how she played Daniel and countless others over the years. The girl was smarter than she ever gave her credit for.

When everything you love has been stolen from you, sometimes all you have left is revenge.

* * *

Nolan's body buckled under her weight, his breathing heavy and his voice stammering to get the words out. He was always in awe of how she moved her body and how she made him weak in the knees and every other part above and below the belt. Tongue tied he felt her nails dig into his wrists as they struggled and played.

He hissed and sounded like a snake trying to spit out venom. She had her own venom when she spoke and it echoed in his ear as she told him he was hers.

He would never argue against that. It was a fact, a written statement that was probably legitimately on a contract somewhere signed in blood.

It was funny because just a year ago she would never even talk about sex or make any kind of remarks to him and now they were having it on her porch and someone was watching. Nolan wondered if Emily felt vulnerable but realized she didn't care and that was sexy. Her apathy never surprised him, he knew what she mattered about most and he fit onto that small little list that she kept tucked away.

Emily looked wild, her hair blowing in the breeze. She looked like a lioness as she craned her neck to kiss along his neck, sucking hard so he'd have a mark the next morning. She knew he would try to hide it with an ascot but she wouldn't let him.

She felt like she was burning up as she looked down at him, her body rocking into his. "You're not always going to get what you want," she told him as she cocked her head. "That's life…"

Nolan looked up at her, his baby blues piercing "Neither are you…can you deal with that Ems?" he asked her which made her second guess her statement.

Emily looked up out of the corner of her eye to see Victoria's shadowy silhouette moving along the veranda, the woman clearly restless and getting an eyeful.

"I already have what I want and need…I've taken it," she told him as she spoke of Charlotte's mother's demise.

For a brief second Nolan wondered if he mattered at all or if he was just a pawn to make Emily feel better about what she had done to her sister's family. He wondered if it was still all about ruining them.

He came to his senses when she stood up like an amazon woman over his body. He watched her tease him as her fingers slid against her slick folds like she was practically giving the Ice Queen above the middle finger.

Emily had fucked Victoria Grayson and now she was going to fuck him but in a very different way.

* * *

A sharp pang of jealousy and curiosity shot through her heart and made her wish she was dead. She would never have what Emily and Nolan had again. Getting laid was something that was easily done but having a man love you unconditionally as she was sure Nolan Ross did with David Clarke's daughter was something she knew she could not find it again. She had found it with David himself and with Conrad, there was no way she would find it again at almost 60 years of age, especially in her complicated situation. Her life was a horror story so all she could do was watch and want.

Nolan Ross lay on the ground and above him was Emily Thorne who stood strong wearing nothing but a thin cotton t- shirt that looked navy colored in this lighting. She could barely see the woman's nudity unless she looked through a finely tuned pair of binoculars or a telescope but she could tell she was naked and ready to pounce like a jungle cat. Emily Thorne was always ready to pounce, Victoria learned that when her secrets came up to the surface.

The genius beneath her was fully clothed except for his cock that was sprung free during the making out and a few buttons on his dress shirt at the top. His manhood felt cool in the night air as the briskness began to set in. Victoria's body sweat and her dress was sticking to her, the hair at the nape of her neck clinging.

If this couple had been anyone other than Emily and Nolan, Victoria would have taken advantage of the show and would have slid her hand across her belly and down between her thighs just to have a voyeuristic moment but watching the partners in crime just made her want to cut herself and bleed until she was as dry as she felt.

Victoria could practically see the hate in Emily Thorne's eyes as she looked up at her. She could feel it emanating and she thought about what David must have felt if he knew how much his daughter had hated Victoria. It made her sick. Holding back her long dark mane she retched over the railing.

* * *

Nolan admired his girlfriend's moist quim above him as she lifted her shirt above her head. This wasn't about being naked; it was about being primal and at one with the elements around her. For so many years she had skirted away issues and swept them under the rug. Now she had to learn how to be at one with herself, completely whole and emotionally connected to the earth, to people, to him.

Revealing her body to him, something she had not yet done in its entirety she dropped the piece of fabric to the floor and joined him there.

She whispered his name as she buried her face in his shoulder. He heard a muffled "Nolan" before she impaled herself on his length. He stifled a sob into her hair, his hand quickly gripping a grouping of the strands. His throbbing cock which was leaking pre-cum and cold from the weather was now enveloped in a tight heat that always shocked him. She was so tight even though she was no virgin.

It must have been all her training, focus and awareness of her body and movements. Maybe it was just kegels.

Rocking into him turned into slamming up and down on him till they were both spent and tired from the position.

Their heads were spinning and he was left reeling from his orgasm. His dick was still captured in her little pound of flesh and her grip was still on his collar. Her breath was at his neck as she felt a pulse, a heartbeat in her lower half. She could feel their bodies vibrate together as she weakly looked up to see Victoria Grayson was no longer watching them.

Emily Thorne thought it would matter that the insufferable woman that had helped turn her life upside down was no longer captivated by her but she knew who was and he was right in front of her.

Collapsing into his arms she let him flip them both over so they were side by side, half naked under the stars.

"Satisfied?" Nolan asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Emily nodded and cleared her throat, her feeble hands reaching out to touch his chest where it was smooth and warm.

"Incredibly," she assured him as she bit her lower lip knowing she was going to be sore in the morning. "Until next time," she added.

Peering over her shoulder he let his eyes wander to the spot where Victoria was just standing to see she wasn't there any longer, the dim lights now completely dark.

"Does it bother you that she's not watching? That she's not over here trying to start something up again?" he asked knowing the vengeful spirit within them both was still a haunting force.

"Not tonight," she proclaimed as she pulled her shirt back over her head, searching for her pink cotton panties that were soaked from foreplay.

Nolan fumbled with his clothing until he looked pristine despite his messy head of hair.

"But if she starts something, you know who is going to come out on top," Emily added as she slipped on pants and helped the blonde boy to his feet.

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, just a small gesture to let her know he would never stray.

"Why you of course," he told her as his hand went to her ass, looping her inside for some warmth and after care.

Emily watched Nolan with adorning eyes as he poured them each a glass of water. She imagined he was still a bit buzzed from the amount of wine he drank even though he wasn't really a fan of the beverage. He glided to the bottom of the stairs and motioned for her to come with him. She looked over in the kitchen at her water, the ice rising to the top of the glass as it melted and became lighter. Looking back to him she gave him a sweet smile.

"You go on up, I'll be there in a minute."

Nolan gave her a knowing head nod before gallivanting upstairs to their room which was once only hers. The house had splotches of him splashed throughout as did their room which now had a big screen TV in his armoire and a whale cam to catch any sexual moments they might want to watch later.

He had really brought the home into the 21st century.

* * *

Victoria Grayson sat in her empty home and felt sick, her body still reeling from its latest disaster of flu like symptoms.

She sat in front of her vanity and removed her makeup before tucking her hair behind her ears to admire the earrings that David Clarke had gotten her all those long years ago.

It was time she finally took them off, she had lost the battle and herself along the way.

* * *

Emily waited until she heard the door close to their bedroom before going to her new hiding place where she kept her infinity box even though she didn't need to hide it anymore. It was out of habit like most things with her. Sitting on the couch where so many moments had been shared she forced the box open to stare back at her and saw her father's warm face as well as hers when she was young. So small and love struck and naïve and innocent. That Amanda Clarke had not one hurtful bone in her body. This one was entirely different.

Pulling out a picture of Victoria Grayson she gazed at it for what felt like a long while but was probably only a few seconds. She uncapped her red sharpie marker and smelled victory. She pressed the pen to the photograph and made a cross through it.

X marks the spot.


End file.
